Elevator-hatchway-operating mechanism



(No Model.)

D. B. GLEM.

BLBVATOR HATGHWAY OPERATING MEGHANISM.

No.449,361.' Patented a1. 31, 1891.

WM 9M Y iINrTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID B. CLEM, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELEVVATOR-HATCHWAY-OPERATING MECHANISIVI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,361, dated March 31, 1891.

Application iiled June 23, 1890. Serial No. 356,479. (No model T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID B. CLEM, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ot' Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator-Hatchway-Door-Operating Mechanism, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is an elevation of my invention applied to a back-guide elevator. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same applied to a side-post77 elevator. Figs. 3 and 4 are a plan and an edge view of details.

My invention has relation to elevators, and has for its object the provision of novel, simple, and efficient means for the automatic opening and closing of the hatchway-doors prior to and after the passage of the elevator through the hatchway, the same being actuated by said elevator. Heretofore this result has been accomplished in various ways-for instance, through the provision of suitablysupported bell-crank levers, which at one end project into the pathway of the elevator and at the other end are connected by a rod with the hatchway-doors, so that when the elevator strikes and depresses the iirst-men tioned ends the latter ends will be raised, as will also said doors. Now in order to secure the proper relation between the levers, the elevator, and the doors, so that the latter may be opened sufficiently to allow said elevator to pass, it has been found necessary to make the levers adjustable between their ends, so as to change the curvature thereof, and thus attain a greater or lesser movement of said doors in a given time. On the other hand, where the levers have been made rigid and not adjustable, it has been necessary to fasten and unfasten the arm connections to and from the doors before the proper adjustment is secured a considerable number of times, resulting in the expenditure of much time and labor and the defacement of the doors. Furthermore, when the edges of the levers at the points at which they come into contact with the elevator have become worn flatly and thereby reduced in width at such points of Contact, it has been found necessary to shift the pivots or bearings for the levers upwardly in order to compensate for such wear, and thus secure the proper operation of the latter, without which compensation the doors will not open sufficiently to allow the elevator to pass.

My invention obviates all of the above disadvantages and contemplates the employment of a rigid bell-crank or other curved lever whose pivotal bearing is supported on a laterally-adjustable bracket secured to the elevator-post, which permits of the fastening of the lever-connection at a single point on the hatchway-door without necessitating the shifting of such point to attain the desired adjustment, and allows of the projection of the tree end of the lever into the pathway of the elevator to a more or less extentin order to attain the necessary movement; of the door.

My invention further contemplatesI the provision of a strip of metal of a curvature corresponding with that of the free end of the lever, and which receives the impact ot the elevator in the dooropening operation, such strip having depending from its under side slotted extensions or arms which permit of the passage therethrough of bolts which pass into the side of the lever, such slots permitting of the adjustment ot' said strip to any extent relativelyto the lever for the purpose oi compensating forthe wear on the lever, and thus restoring the latter to its original thickness, and, while primarily intended for use in connection with a rigid lever, can be used for the same purpose on an adjustable lever.

My invention consists inthe details of construction and in the combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein- A represents an elevator of the usual form having the rollers 'a journaled in bearings on its under side for engagement with the door operating levers and 'sliding 'between the posts B.

C C are baseplates secured on said posts by the bolts c c, and having formed integral with or secured in any suitable lnanner to their faces the transversely-extending boxes c2, which have central openings c3 therein ex tending from end to end thereof and which are rectangular in transverse section, said ICO boxes being preferably cast in one piece with the base-plates, as shown in the drawings.

(Z d are bolts passing through washers d? and through correspondingly-iiireaded openings in the outer walls of the boxes c2, and which impinge on the flat portions of the op` positely-disposed arms or brackets D, the ends oi' which bolts at their points of contact with the latter arms being preferably cupped out or concaved, so as to permit of their exerting a sort of bite thereon and preventing the slipping of the saine in the boxes. These arms or brackets, which are the supports for the curved levers, are of the same shape in cross-section as the openings o3, and are of slightly less thickness and width than the saine, so as to permit ot their being slid easily through said openings whenthe bolts are loosened, yet when the bolts are. tightened the difference in their relative sizes will not allow of there being any play of the arms or lever-siipports in the openings, thus preventing strain on the bolts.

d3 are enlargements or heads formed on the outer ends of the arms D, having thereon and extending at right angles with their flat portions or faces the shouldered bosses d'1, which are of such length as to prevent the Contact of the levers (which are pivoted thereon in the usual manner through the provision of a bolt passing into the end of the boss through a washer) with the boxes on the base-plates.

E E are the rigid levers of the usual shape, having formed therein near one end an enlargement e, iii which is formed a central opening for the reception of the boss d'1, said levers being secured pivotally on said bosses through the medium of the bolts e passing through washers and into the ends of the bosses.

E2 E3 are metallic strips or plates of a curvature corresponding with that of the curved ends e2 of the levers, and are formed integral with or have secured thereunder the depending legs or extensions e5 e4, having therein slots c5, extending the length thereof, and for the passage of the bolts e, which latter pass into threaded openings in the side of the aforesaid ends e2, and when turned inwardly their full extents their heads impinge against the arms and maintain the strips E2 E3 at any adjusted position. lVhile it is found preferable to form the arms integral with the plates, and to have such arms straight and extending at an angle corresponding with the radius of the arms, allowing siiiiicient play between the bolts and the walls of the'slots to 'permit of the plates being drawn away from the levers to a considerable or their full extents, it may be found desirable hereinafter to hinge the arms eg e4 to the plates, or to form them integral therewith and curve them inwardlyslightly.

As shown in Figs. l, 3, and 4c of the drawings, the adjustable supports for the levers above described are preferably used when thelatter are to be employed in connection with a back guide elevator lfb-viz., one which slides along guides at the rear side thereof, where the arms D project outside of the said rear side and do not in any way impede the progress of the elevator-and when the levers are to be used in connection with a side -post elevator A-viz one which slides on guides at its center instead of its back-a slotted plate F can be used for the support of said levers, such plate having thereon a boss like d4,n and the levers are secured thereon through the mediuin of the bolts f, passing through washers and into the ends of the bosses after the manner hereinbefore described. These plates are secured to the side posts G G by the bolts f passing through washers and through the slots f 2 j 0 in said plates, which slots permit of the adjustment of the plates on the posts laterally to the extent of said slots.

Of course in a side-post elevator the arms or lever-supports D may be employed for the support of the levers to the same advantage as with a hack-guide elevator, in which case said arms will extend outwardly beyond the outer edges of said posts, so as to not interfere with the passage of the elevator, or will be in positions the reverse of those illustrated in Fig. l. vers, which are lettered e7, have the usual eyes therein for the reception of the rods H H', which at their lower ends are hinged in the usual manner to the doors K K.

The method whereby the various parts are placed in operative relation is, first, the baseplates are secured in their proper positions on the guide-posts. Then the rods H H are pivotally secured at their lower ends at the proper points and once for all. Next, the supports for the levers E E', which latter are connected with the rods aforesaid, are shifted laterally, and then secured bythe bolts d d when brackets D are employed, and by the boltsf when slotted plates F are used, when the desired adjustment is secured for the proper operation of the doors. Vhen, however, the levers fail to operate the doors properly through the wearing of the strips E2 E3 at their points of contact With the elevator, thus causing a space to be left between them, resulting in lost motion and preventing the full opening of the doors, such strips are raised and then secured in such positions relatively to the levers as to compensate for such wear through the medium of the bolts c, passing through the slotted legs e3 e4, thus dispensing with the necessity for the expenditure of labor and time in shifting the pivots of the levers for attaining the same end. When these strips have become worn to such an extent as to render them useless, the Work of replacing them by others is a matter of very much lesslabor and expense than where an entirely new lever is necessary.

The raising of the inner ends of the wearing-strips, as shown in FiO. l, is merely to The inner ends of the.le

illustrate a change from the normal use ot such strips, which mghtin some cases be resorted to in order to guard against the possibility ol' the rollers d riding Yin the wrong direction on the wearing-strips when the pivotal points of the levers are near to the points at which said rollers first strike said strips.

Vhat I claim as my invention is as follows:

l. The combination, with an elevatorhatchway, of one or more hatchway-doors, a curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other projecting into the pathway of the elevator, and a laterally-adj ustable arm or bracket for each lever, upon which the same is pivoted, substantially' as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more hatehway-doors, a curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other projecting into the pat-hway of the elevator, a laterally-adjustable arm or bracket for each lever, upon which the same is pivoted, and a base-plate for each arm having thereon a box with a transverse opening therein for the reception of" said arm orbracket,

substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more hatchway-doors, a curved lever suitably supported connected at one end with each door and atthe other end projecting into the pathway ot the elevator, and a metallic strip or plate adjustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends, substantially as and for the purpose specified. 4

4. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more hatchway-doors, a suit` ably-supported curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other end projecting into the pathway of the elevator, and

a metallic strip or plate having depending` slotted legs or extensions adj ustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends by bolts passing through the slots, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more curved levers connected at one end with each door and at the other end projecting into the pathway of the elevator, a metallic strip or plate adj ustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends, and an adjustable support :tor each lever, upon which the same is pivoted, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

G. The combination,with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more hatchway-doors, a curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other end proj ectin g into the pathway of' the elevator, a metallic strip or plate adj ustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends, and a laterally-adjustable arm or bracket for each lever, upon which the same is pivoted, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of' one or more h atchway-doors, a curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other end projecting into the pathway of the elevator, a metallic strip or plate adjustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends, a laterally-adjustable arm for each lever, upon which the same is pivoted, and a base-plate for each arm, having thereon a box with a transverse opening therein f'or the reception of said arm, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

S. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more hatchway-doors, a curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other end projecting into the pathway of the elevator, a metallic strip or plate having depending slotted arms adj ustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends by bolts passing through the slots, a laterallyadjustable arm foreach lever, upon which the same is pivoted, and a base-plate for each arm, having thereon a box with a transverse opening therein for the reception of said arm, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

9. The combination, with an elevator-hatchway, of one or more hatchway-doors, a' curved lever connected at one end with each door and at the other end projecting into the pathway of the elevator, a metallic strip or plate having depending slotted arms adjustably secured on each of the last-mentioned ends by bolts passing through the slots, a laterally-adj ustable arm for each lever, upon which the same is pivoted, a base-plate for each arm, having thereon a box with a transverse opening therein for the .reception of said arm, and a bolt or bolts sustained in the box and impinging on the arm, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID B. CLEM. Witnesses:

WM. H. POWELL, R. DALE SrARI-IAWK; 

